A Little Slice Of Humble Pie
by darkin520
Summary: Written for the Shower Challenge at The Reviews Lounge, Too, four crew members learn a valuable lesson the hard way...well, the majority of them anyway. First season, one-shot. *COMPLETE*


**A/N: This is written for the shower challenge at The Reviews Lounge, Too: **

_**Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It: Alright, I'm excited for this one. I want you to write a shower scene. Yup! A shower scene! Here's the catch: No sex. In fact, no slash of any sort. Make this the most awkward shower scene ever. Or maybe your characters don't mind being in the shower together. Or maybe someone comes to kill them. Whatever! Make it work! One or two-shot. PM me when you put it up! Be creative and have fun!**_

**It's set sometime after the first season episode 'Whale Song'. For out-of-fandom readers, the only thing that you need to know is that beef is outlawed because of the methane gas that cows give off ruins the ozone layer, and eating beef is illegal, especially for the crew, whose diet is regulated by the government.**

**Disclaimer: SeaQuest DSV and its characters are not my creation. They are the creation of Rockne S. O'Bannon as a 1990's television series. This work of fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only and is not for financial gain. I am just borrowing the characters for a bit and promise to return them unharmed and in their original condition, maybe just a bit happier.**

**A Little Slice Of Humble Pie**

It was a typical morning on _seaQuest_, and as per the usual, the crew gathered in the mess for breakfast. However, Ben was bored with typical and ordinary, and he felt the need to share his thoughts with his crewmates…again.

"Another morning, another perfect orange," Ben replied as he sat down. "Just once, I'd like it to be bruised or not quite ripe…anything to make it taste _real_."

Tim rolled his eyes. "Are you going to start that again? Didn't we go through this a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah," Miguel answered, "but that was before he got caught _red-meat-handed_."

"And I didn't even get a bite," Ben said with a scowl. "All that delicious beef gone to waste."

"Hey, you're lucky that all the captain did was throw your cheeseburger away. He could have done a lot worse," Tim told him. "The government controls our diets for a reason. Besides, it's much healthier. Your arteries are cleaner, thanks to them."

Ben shook his head. "I'd rather have clogged arteries. I just wanted some good food for a change, anything other than this chemically processed garbage they give us day in and day out. I'd have gladly taken any punishment for a cheeseburger…or even a steak."

"Yeah, because it worked out so _well_ the first time," Lucas cut in.

"Yeah, well, last time was just a practice run."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're actually stupid enough to try it again."

"Oh, no, I don't think it's stupid at all. I think it's genius. I have a foolproof plan this time."

Miguel rolled his eyes. "I don't think I want to know." He stood and started to walk away.

"You mean you don't want in on this? It's the chance of a lifetime."

"I don't think so."

Tim followed suit. "The less I know, the better," he said. "Have fun, you two."

Ben looked at Lucas. "Do you want in? There could be a juicy porterhouse with your name on it."

Lucas looked across the mess to the table where the captain and the doctor were sitting. "And what makes you think you won't get caught this time?"

_-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-_

"Nathan? Didn't you hear what I said?"

Nathan turned to the woman sitting across from him. She was giving him a look of both confusion and concern. "Sorry," he muttered.

She placed a hand on his forehead. "Are you feeling all right? I can't help but notice you've seemed distracted all morning."

He gently removed her hand and offered her a smile. "I feel fine, honest." He nodded his head toward the table where Lucas and Ben were sitting. "I'm just observing."

Kristin followed his gaze. "Observing? Whatever for?"

"I think Ben's up to something," Nathan replied. "I just can't put my finger on it…yet. Since I've returned to command, he's been acting like a perfect angel."

"That doesn't seem like such a bad thing. I must admit, it has been very peaceful around here lately."

Nathan turned back to her. "Exactly my point. Things have been peaceful…_too peaceful_…which means he's about to crack at any moment. I just don't want him taking Lucas down with him. You know how those two are when they get together."

Kristin laughed softly. "Oh, they're just having a little fun."

"Fun? You call bioluminescent fecal matter and beef smuggling fun?"

"Well, no, but I consider those things rather harmless," she replied with a shrug.

"I don't consider beef smuggling harmless when it's illegal."

Kristin sighed. "I just meant I could think of worse things they could do."

Nathan looked back towards Lucas and Ben. "Well, I know he's up to something, and I intend to find out."

"How are you going to do that?"

"Simple. You're going to help me."

"_Me?_ Oh, come now, Ben isn't going to share anything with me."

"I didn't say anything about _Ben_," Nathan told her with a wink.

_-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-_

"We've got a launch of supplies coming in from South America," Ben said to Lucas.

"So?"

He lowered his voice. "So…beef isn't regulated there like it is in the US. It's easily attainable. Let's just say I've got connections, and there's going to be some fresh steaks tucked in among the coolers of blood the doc ordered. When the launch gets here later today, I'll just remove those before I bring the coolers to medbay, and no one will know."

"You're forgetting one very important thing. How are you going to cover up the smell when you cook them?" Lucas asked.

"Don't worry; I've got it all covered." Ben glanced towards the captain's table and noticed him looking towards him. He smiled and waved, and the captain returned the gesture.

"Real smart, Ben. Yeah, that's not suspicious at all," Lucas said, rolling his eyes.

"Just watch the master work," Ben assured him. "The captain isn't going to find out about this one. No one will. So are you in or out?"

Lucas shook his head. "I really don't get cravings for dead cow."

"That's because you don't know what you're missing," Ben replied. "A juicy steak cooked over an open grill, medium rare with a baked potato on the side, slathered in butter and sour cream. Hmm…it makes my mouth water just thinking about it." He pushed Lucas' arm. "Come on, let me make you one. Let me show you what _real_ food is like."

Lucas sighed. "Fine, I'm in. But if we get caught, I'm going to act like I don't know a thing."

"Deal," Ben told him. "And as far as I'm concerned, you don't know a thing. I'll talk to you more about it after we're off-duty. And remember, not a word to anyone."

Lucas nodded and finished off the last bits of his egg substitute and soy bacon. "I got it. See you later, Ben."

_-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-_

"Let me get this straight. You want me to drill Lucas for information?" Kristin asked.

"Well, you don't need to make it sound so sordid," Nathan replied, "but, yes, that's what I'd like you to do." He motioned towards the table where Ben was still sitting. Ben turned to them, smiled, and waved again.

Kristin giggled. "He does seem eager to look innocent, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, well, he's not fooling anyone. He's up to something, and we're going to beat him at his own game."

"We?"

"You are going to help me, aren't you?" he asked.

"Well, I actually haven't agreed yet," she answered. "While I'm in the lab drilling Lucas for information, what are _you_ going to be doing?"

"Well, I do need to be on the bridge, but when I get a free moment, I'll be having a little chat with Ben myself, check up on him a bit, see if I can't figure out what he's planning."

"What if he's not planning anything at all?"

"Oh, please; do you really believe that? This is _Ben_ we're talking about. Haven't you been watching him? Anyone can tell he's conspiring. He and Lucas were whispering all through their meal."

"It could have been completely innocent," she replied. "Besides, Lucas didn't actually participate in the beef smuggling. He just knew about it."

"And he didn't tell anyone, which is the same as lying, don't you agree?"

"Well…"

"And really, when is Ben not planning something?"

Kristin thought for a moment. "I see your point. But even if we find out what's going on, _if anything_, how are we going to beat him at his own game?"

"We're going to take him down a peg or two," Nathan told her. "Trust me; just page me if you find anything out, and I'll do the same with you, okay?"

"Very well," she said with a sigh.

_-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-_

Once in medbay, Kristin went through her usual morning routine checking on patients, making sure all research was running smoothly, and handing out orders. She had little time to even think about what Nathan had said. By mid-morning, however, there was a lull and she could breathe a bit easier. She glanced toward Lucas, who was busy copying data she'd written down on some research charts into the computer. She walked toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "And how are you doing over here?" she asked, trying to sound cheery.

"Bored," he replied. "Isn't there something a little more exciting that we can do? For the last three days, it's been nothing but typing these numbers into spreadsheets."

"I know this isn't your idea of a good time, but what you're doing is very important. It's just a slow time for everyone, that's all. I promise, as soon as you're finished with this," she said, motioning toward the thick stack of charts on the desk in front of him, "we'll do something more to your liking. I've been lobbying for funding on an aquatic algae experiment."

"Oh, goody," he said flatly.

She smiled. "Believe me; it's more exciting than it sounds. Don't worry; you're not the only one with cabin fever. It's just that time of year. Everyone's a little bored."

"Tell me about it, but I have a feeling things are about to get a little more interesting," he said absent-mindedly as he finished one chart and moved to another.

"What?"

"Oh, uh, nothing," Lucas quickly recovered. "I just meant I think things will get better. They have to, right?" He flashed her an innocent grin.

"Oh, perhaps," she replied, but she couldn't help but think that perhaps Nathan was right. Lucas did know something. "I couldn't help but notice how friendly you and Ben were this morning."

"Oh, yeah, I guess," Lucas said, pretending to become more engrossed in the charts.

"Did anything exciting happen at breakfast?" she pressed.

Lucas gave a slight laugh. "Not really. Why?"

"No reason. I just thought that Ben might have told an interesting story or something," she replied nonchalantly.

Lucas shook his head. "He did say something about the supplies you ordered coming today, though."

"Oh, good. We're getting low." She gave his arm a gentle squeeze. "Well, I'll let you get back to work then."

"Yay," he said with a mock cheer.

She smiled. "If you're good, maybe I'll let you off-duty a little early and let you have some fun."

"Okay," he said as he started typing once again.

Kristin sighed. That didn't go as well as she thought. She shook her head as she walked into her office. She didn't know how Nathan expected her to drill Lucas when there was no way she was going to get him to spill any secrets about Ben. Even if he did know anything, he obviously wasn't going to volunteer any information. She was about to take out her PAL and tell Nathan about her failure when there was a knock on the doorframe. She looked up to see Ben pushing a supply cart.

"Special delivery, Doc," he announced. "Where do you want it?"

Kristin walked out of her office and into the cold storage supply room. "Right this way, if you don't mind." She held the door for him as he pushed the cart inside.

"Do you want help unloading them?" he asked.

She shook her head. "That's very kind of you to offer, though, thank you."

"Well, I promised the captain I'd be more helpful around here, so I thought I'd follow through for once," he replied. "You're sure you don't need any help?"

"Yes, Mr. Krieg, I'm sure. I do admire your eagerness, though. I'm sure your services can be used somewhere on the boat if you look hard enough."

Ben gave her a salute. "Well, you just call me if you need. See you later."

Kristin had to stifle a laugh as she waved a goodbye to him. Nathan was right. Ben was certainly acting innocent…_too innocent_. It did seem as though he was up to something, but figuring it out was going to be much harder than either of them thought, she decided.

She turned to the coolers, opened one, and started emptying its contents and placing them on the shelves. She'd nearly had the first cooler emptied when her hand touched something cold and wet.

She swore under her breath because she thought that perhaps one of the bags of blood had torn open and had made a mess inside the cooler, only when she pulled her hand out, it wasn't covered in blood.

While she was relieved to find that wasn't the case, she was almost afraid to look inside to see what she had touched. She took a deep breath and looked inside and almost started laughing since at the bottom of the cooler was a package of steaks wrapped in cellophane, condensation covering the outside of the package.

She took out her PAL. She couldn't wait for Nathan to see this.

"Bridger," he answered.

"I really hate to tear you away from your _busy _schedule, but I could really use your assistance in medbay," she said.

"Busy?" he quipped. "It's as dull as a tomb on the bridge. Is everything okay there?"

"Oh, yes, everything's fine here. I just wanted to show you that you were right. Mr. Krieg is certainly up to something."

"Oh, I already knew that, but I couldn't get any information out of him. You got Lucas to talk, though? I'm very impressed."

"Actually, no, but Mr. Krieg left me a gift of sorts among my medical supplies."

"What?"

"You really need to see it for yourself," she told him. "I'm in the cold storage supply room."

"I'll be right there," Nathan said before cutting the connection.

_-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-_

When Nathan arrived in the supply room, he wasn't sure what he'd find, but he certainly was not expecting the doctor to be holding a package of two gorgeous-looking steaks.

"I'm sure there's more where that came from, too," she announced. "I've gone through the other two coolers, and there weren't any surprises in those."

"Those were just sitting on the bottom of the cooler?" Nathan asked.

She nodded. "The problem is getting him to admit there're more, though. So are you going to call him, or shall I?"

Nathan shook his head. "Neither."

"What? But I thought-"

"You are far too easy on him, Doctor. Think about it. Mr. Krieg thinks he's pulling off the ultimate scam, but he's going to realize he slipped up…eventually. I say we make him sweat it out, don't you?"

She smiled. "I do love the way your mind works. I guess I'll just place these," she said, motioning to the steaks in her hand, "in the cooler here for safe-keeping."

"I've got a better idea. What do you say you and I have a steak dinner?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Might I remind you that beef is illegal?"

Nathan sighed. "But it's been so long since I've had a steak…and besides, this cow is already dead. It's not like it's damaging the ozone layer the way it is." He took the package from her hand and held it up in the air. "Just look at that marbling. Can you remember what it tasted like? So juicy, so mouth-watering…"

"It does sound good," she agreed. "The beef ban is certainly the reason why so many people have iron deficiencies nowadays, including me."

"See, you'd be doing yourself a favor. As soon as we get off-duty, I'll make you dinner, and then we'll go teach Ben a lesson. What do you say?" Nathan asked hopefully.

"Oh…all right," she agreed.

Nathan smiled. "I promise you won't be disappointed. Don't worry. I have the perfect place to keep these." He started unbuttoning his uniform.

She shook her head, understanding what he was trying to do. "Hold on a minute. I have just the thing for you." She left the room and came back a few minutes later, holding a lab coat. "Here, just wrap them in this. That'll be much easier than trying to hide them inside your uniform, don't you think?"

"Ah, what would I do without you? Thank you for this. See you later."

"Later," she replied.

_-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-_

Lucas rubbed his tired eyes. He'd been staring at the computer screen all day, and the numbers were beginning to blur in front of him. He glanced at the clock. It was late afternoon, and the doc had said that she was going to let him go early, though she hadn't relieved him yet, and he was too nervous to ask. He was afraid if he looked too eager to leave, she might suspect something was up.

He sighed, turned to a new chart, and began entering the data when he heard a vibration on the desk near him. It took him a moment to realize it was his PAL unit. He picked it up and hit a button. "Wolenczak."

"Lucas, we have a huge problem. Code red! Code red!" Ben's voice sounded through the speakers.

"Ssh!" Lucas chastised. "Keep your voice down. I'm in the middle of the science lab." He looked around. Thankfully, no one was paying much attention, and the doctor was in her office. "What's the problem?" he whispered.

"I should probably wait to tell you in person, but let's just say I screwed up big time! Are you almost off-duty?"

"The doc had said she'd let me go early, but she must have forgotten."

"Well, go ask her. I need your help," Ben insisted.

Lucas sighed. "I'll see what I can do."

"Just hurry, all right?" Ben said.

Lucas put his PAL unit in his pocket and made his way to the doctor's office. She was busy writing something down. He waited in the doorway, hoping she'd look up and notice him, but she was too engrossed in whatever she was doing. He took a deep breath and knocked quietly on the doorframe.

She looked up and offered him a smile. "Lucas, come in. Do you need my help?"

"No, actually," he said, walking inside. "I was just wondering…you had said you were going to let me go early, and I've been working hard all day and…"

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I'd forgotten. Of course, you can go. I'm going to be packing up for the day shortly myself. Just make sure you save the files, and you can pick it back up in the morning."

Lucas nearly ran back to his workstation, eager to do something more exciting.

Just as he was shutting his computer down, though, she called after him.

He sighed. "Yeah?"

"Don't sound so excited," she teased. "I was just going to remind you to have fun; you've been working hard all week. You deserve it."

He smiled. "Okay, I will. You deserve to have a little fun, too. You should take your own advice."

"I'm working on that," she promised. "Have a good night."

"You, too."

_-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-_

Lucas hurried off to Ben's room and knocked on the door.

A second later, the door opened and Ben pulled him inside.

"Hey, watch the arm," Lucas said, holding his right shoulder. "Now what's the problem? I thought your plan was foolproof." He made air quotes with his fingers as he said the word 'foolproof'.

"Yeah, well, Marty…that's my meat guy…he gave me a call to make sure all six packages had gotten here in perfect condition."

"Well, did they?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah."

"So what's the problem?"

"I thought there were only _four _packages. That means I left two in with the doctor's supplies. Did she put them away already?"

Lucas shrugged. "How should I know?"

"You work with her all day. You didn't happen to notice?" he asked as he started to panic. "This is bad. This is very bad."

"Hey, I told you the minute you messed up, I was gone. This is your problem, not mine. See you later." Lucas placed his hand on the door handle when Ben clamped a hand over his.

"You can't leave me. I need your help," Ben pleaded. "Come on, Lucas. We're pals."

"What's in it for me?"

"I'll do anything. I'll serve you breakfast in bed."

"And clean my room," Lucas added, "for a week."

"Done."

"And be my personal slave and do anything I ask."

"Don't push it," Ben warned.

"Fine." Lucas took his hand off the handle. "So what is it you want me to do?"

"Go back to medbay and see if the other steaks are in the coolers," Ben answered.

"I can't do that. The doc just let me go off-duty early, and she told me to go and have fun. She'd definitely suspect something was up if she saw me back in there again. Plus, I would have no reason to be in the cold storage supply room."

Ben sighed. "Just make something up. Tell her you dropped something. I don't care. Just go check, please? You have a better chance of getting in there than I do."

Lucas sighed. "Fine…but you owe me big."

"I'll give you breakfast in bed for two weeks then."

"All right; all right. I'm going."

_-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-_

Lucas made his way back to medbay. This time, he took the back way, through the corridors. Sure, it was longer, but he felt he was less likely to run into the doctor that way. As he reached the end of the corridor right before medbay, he peeked around the corner. To his relief, the coast was clear. The doctor must have decided to send everyone home. He tiptoed around the corner when he heard footsteps come down the other direction.

He shut his eyes tightly, moved to stand by the wall, and held his breath, hoping that he looked invisible.

"Did you miss me already?" Kristin asked him. "And what are you doing exactly? You look like you're playing a game of hide and seek."

Lucas tried to relax a bit. "Uh, yeah, actually, that's what I'm doing. Ben and I are having a little friendly competition. We…we're having a scavenger hunt."

"A scavenger hunt? With two people? That doesn't sound very exciting," she said with a shake of her head. "No matter, though. I'm just glad you're having fun. I'm about to leave for the evening anyway. Just don't skip dinner…and uh, turn the lights down when you're finished, all right?" With that, she turned to leave.

He watched her go. "That was easy," he muttered. "Almost too easy." He shook his head, not wanting to question it twice. He made his way to the storage closet and began to look through the coolers.

_-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-_

After changing into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, Kristin knocked on Nathan's door.

He opened the door and greeted her with a smile. "I hope you brought your appetite," he said as he stepped aside to let her pass.

"I am famished," she replied. "And I must say, it does smell absolutely delicious. Is there anything I can help with?" she asked, walking into the kitchenette area and observing the grill top of the stove.

"You can help me make the potatoes if you want," Nathan replied. "These are going to take another half an hour or so to cook. Is medium all right?"

"That's just fine," she told him as Nathan handed her the bag of potatoes. She brought them to the sink and began scrubbing them.

_-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-_

"What do you mean they're not in there?" Ben cried. "Oh, my God. What if the doc found them? We're in so much trouble!"

Lucas shook his head. "We are _not _in trouble. Think about it. If the doc had found them, what would she do?"

"She'd tell the captain," Ben replied.

"Right…and if the captain knew, wouldn't he have already been here to see if you had any more and confiscate them?"

"Yeah, I guess he would have," Ben replied, relaxing.

"I don't know what happened to them, but I wouldn't worry about it. We're safe," Lucas assured him. "So are we going to cook these things? I'm starving."

Ben walked over to a box in the corner of his room and took out what appeared to be a small grill, only it looked as it was on its last legs.

"_What_ is _that_?" Lucas asked. "It looks ancient."

"This is a tabletop propane grill. We used to use these for camping when I was a kid. There aren't many around anymore, but Marty was able to find me one at a flea market."

"I hope he kept the fleas," Lucas quipped. "Are you sure it's going to be able to handle these?"

"Positive," Ben replied. "I've already tested it, and it works." He placed it on the table and turned it on. He then unwrapped the steaks and placed them on the grill.

"Is it _supposed _to smell like that?" Lucas asked a few minutes later, noticing the strange odor that filled the air.

"Ah, it's nothing to worry about," Ben assured him. "It's just because the grill's a little old. In a little while, it'll smell better."

"Are you sure?" Lucas asked, noticing how the room began to fill with smoke. "Maybe I should open the door?"

"No!" Ben shouted. "The crew gets one whiff of this, and everyone will want some. We can't open the door. I promise it'll get better."

"Whatever you say," Lucas told him, but he certainly had his doubts.

_-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-_

Nathan began to set the table just as Kristin was washing down the counters. "Dinner is served," he announced. He walked over and took her hand. "That can wait until later. Sit down and eat." He pulled out her chair for her as she sat.

"It does look delicious," she replied. "I guess this was a pretty good idea you had."

"I like to think so," he said as he began to cut a piece of meat for himself.

Kristin followed suit and brought her fork up to her mouth.

Just then, they heard a loud whirring sound.

Kristin dropped her fork. "What is that?" she asked.

Nathan set his fork down as well. "It sounds like…"

"The fire alarm," Kristin finished as they both ran to the door to see what the problem was.

Suddenly, the sprinkler system activated and began showering water everywhere.

_-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-_

"Oh, real smooth, Ben!" Lucas shouted as water sprayed from the ceiling and a thick veil of smoke hung in the air. "I told you it didn't smell right!" He began to cough. "And it's getting hard to breathe in here!"

"It…it's just a little smoke. It's nothing I can't-"

Just then, the door burst open; the captain and doctor rushed in.

"Oh, my God! Are you two all right?" Kristin asked, immediately rushing over to Lucas.

"We-we're fine," Lucas choked out.

"We need to get you both out of here, at least until the smoke clears." She put her arm around his shoulders and led him out into the hallway while Nathan did the same with Ben.

_-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-_

Ten minutes later, the smoke had finally cleared and the sprinklers had stopped.

Standing in the corridor, soaked to the bone and crossing his arms over his chest, Nathan gave Ben a glare. "You want to tell me what the _hell_ you think you were doing?"

Ben pushed the wet hair out of his eyes. "Just cooking a little dinner, sir."

"Well, in case you didn't remember, beef is still illegal. Now you two are going to clean this mess up…and you better hope the sprinklers only went off on B-deck because, so help me, if it reached the bridge-"

Nathan felt a gentle tap on his shoulder, and he turned to see the doctor, equally soaked to the bone and wearing a frown on her face.

"P-pardon the interruption, but could I speak to you for just a minute…please?"

Nathan sighed. "You two, stay where you are," he said to Ben and Lucas, and he and Kristin took a few steps away.

"We are just as guilty as they are," she whispered.

"What? How can you-"

"If Mr. Krieg's little dinner idea wouldn't have gone up in smoke, you and I would still be eating _our_ steak dinner." She shook her head. "As uncomfortable and inconvenient as this whole fiasco is, we got exactly what we deserved. I don't know about you, but I'm going to change into some dry clothes, and then I'm going to help our two little smugglers over there with this mess."

"And you think I should set an example and do the same?"

She turned to walk towards her quarters. "I'm not going to tell you what to do."

Nathan frowned. He had to admit, Kristin was right. He walked back towards Ben and Lucas. "Go change into some dry clothes, both of you. We'll meet back here in ten minutes. It will be in your best interest not to be late, got it?"

"Aye, sir," both men mumbled.

_-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-_

By sheer luck, the damage was only isolated to the B-deck crew quarters, but it still meant the four of them had to work late into the night in order to clean everything up.

By midnight, they had finally finished the last room.

Kristin let out a groan. "Well, I think we all learned a valuable lesson, don't you agree?"

"I know I have," Lucas piped up. "Never trust Ben!"

"Hey, I didn't hold a gun to your head," Ben pointed out.

Nathan shook his head. "I think what the doctor means is that we all got a little slice of humble pie, which we rightly deserved."

"Exactly," Kristin agreed. "But you know, since we all missed dinner, why don't we go to the galley and see if we can't rustle up some _real _food? I'm starving."

"I wouldn't exactly call it real, but I guess I don't have much of a choice," Ben said.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't start on that kick again."

Ben held up his hands. "I'm not, I promise. Let's go eat."

The four walked to the galley. Once there, Kristin looked in the refrigerator.

"Well, there are some protein patties in gravy?" she suggested.

"I don't think I want anything that is supposed to resemble beef," Nathan said as he moved to stand behind her.

"Good point," she replied. "Um…well, I could make us all a salad?"

"Salad is not enough to feed my appetite," Ben replied as he walked to look inside as well.

"I could make us some sandwiches?"

"How about we make ice cream sundaes?" Lucas said from where he was sitting.

The others turned to look at him.

"What?" he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Doesn't it sound good?"

"Actually, it does," Kristin agreed. "I'm having one." She closed the refrigerator and opened the freezer to take out the ice cream.

"I'll get the bowls," Nathan said, moving to the cabinet.

"Don't you guys know what the half-life is on that stuff?" Ben asked after a minute.

"Oh, come now, Mr. Krieg," Kristin said as she placed his sundae in front of him. "I think you're exaggerating a little. Don't think about it and just eat. It's been a long day for all of us."

Ben sighed as he watched the three of them indulge in their meals. He finally relented and gave in, sitting down and taking a bite for himself. He had to admit, it did hit the spot.

"Just don't think the punishments are over for you two, though," Nathan said after several minutes. "Smuggling beef is a very serious and illegal activity, and I don't want either of you privy to it ever again."

Lucas held up a hand. "I swear, I'm never doing it again."

Ben sighed. "And I'm finished with schemes for a while, too."

"A while?" Kristin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I can't say I'm done for good," Ben answered. "You all know me. I can't just quit cold turkey. Next time, I'll just be absolutely sure I don't get caught…"


End file.
